Hot on the heels of last month's review of the Ship Inn Wylam, we returned to sample their stellar Sunday lunch offering
The charming railway village is the perfect place unwind at the end of a working week and is a popular spot for locals and out-of-towners. At the heart of the village lies the Ship Inn, a traditional British pub with real culinary chops who serve a high quality two course Sunday Lunch for £18 and three for £22. We arrived to find the dining area packed with a mix of couples, friends and families. Clearly this is very much a place for those “in the know.
After being seated in a cosy corner table, we soon settled in over a bottle of Pinot Grigio blush and a pint of Theakston’s “Barista Stout a worthy Guinness substitute with outstanding flavour and character and a feint suggestion of coffee.
The Ship Inn serve wholesome, super-tasty pub food championing the best locally-sourced seasonal ingredients. Its Sunday menu offers plenty of variety, with a couple of quirky little touches alongside traditional Sunday roasts. First up came a platter of wispy-fresh, beer cured salmon, stylishly paired with pickled cucumbers, treacle and walnut bread.
We also chose the potted rabbit, embellished with a smudge of wholegrain mustard and pickles. Served with sour dough toast perfect for dunking this was a rich, gamey treat. Finally, we also opted for the smoked cod roe dip a firm favourite from our last visit presented with bacon, seaweed and pillow-y hunks of grilled flatbread.
Between courses, the service was slick as very friendly with our waitress happy to replenish our glasses in true Northumberland style.
During our visit, we were given the choice of the traditional topside of beef or the roast leg of lamb. Pescatarians are also well catered for with the North Sea cod fishcakes, whilst the pea & mint risotto also made for a delicious veggie alternative.
Both my wife Lisa and I chose the beef whilst my son Jack tested the lamb. All were cooked perfectly to our “pink or well done preferences. A grand settee of a Yorkshire pud sat alongside whilst a selection of seasonal greens were housed next to us in huge sharing tureens. If all of this isn’t enough, the Ship Inn also do a fine line in homemade desserts. Though somewhat replete, Jack and Lisa were egged on to try the chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream. This certainly delivered and provided a memorable table-tapping finale.
It seems that the Ship Inn Wylam is a top gastropub with an awful lot going for it. In addition to Sunday Lunch, the pub often has a packed programme of events. See their upcoming “Waste Food Night an evening with a cause as their chefs will be cooking up creative dishes from ingredients which would otherwise have been thrown away. All proceeds will go to ‘The Pickle Palace’ a social enterprise that uses as much fruit and vegetables from local farm shops which would otherwise go to landfill. What a fantastic, eco-conscious idea.
Where Sunday Lunch is concerned though, few come better than the Ship Inn Wylam. A superb choice for those looking for a change from the local carvery
For more information, visit www.theshipinnwylam.co.uk